I tried landing on the balls of my feet when I sprint, but I still feel that heavy slapping heel strike._________________My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8•London 2012 XXX Olympiad•

Ok, would it increase my calf strength if I literally flex them when I run everytime? Like putting some workload on them too? I am not used to high speeds, better include calf raises in my weight training When I run I make like no use of my calves, and they never ache, but when I put some load on them they kind of ache after._________________My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8•London 2012 XXX Olympiad•

I'm not an expert on the physiology side of athletics but I do run fast and landing on the balls is the only way you're going to gain speed. It's the main component of being able to run fast. BTW You don't even have to go to gym to train your calves. Just stand whereever you are, and do calf raises on the floor. You know what I mean? Try doing at least a 100 a day, in ONE set. Soreness for the next 3 days guaranteeed.

I have seen snap shots of middle distance runners like Hicham while on the track running, and his foot was flat straight on the ground. All I can say is that when I run, I land on my whole foot, and if someone were to take a shot of me it would look like one leg is in front of the other with the toes upward, and the heel about to carve the ground. Im doing calf raises 4x16, and I don't feel them the next day. Every muscle that I work on, the next day it feels fine. Muscles are supposed to be sore the next day right? One of my friends who plays basketball at high school told me to do calf raises with feet next to each other, toes outward, then toes inward, 5 reps for each movement._________________My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8•London 2012 XXX Olympiad•

I have seen snap shots of middle distance runners like Hicham while on the track running, and his foot was flat straight on the ground. All I can say is that when I run, I land on my whole foot, and if someone were to take a shot of me it would look like one leg is in front of the other with the toes upward, and the heel about to carve the ground. Im doing calf raises 4x16, and I don't feel them the next day. Every muscle that I work on, the next day it feels fine. Muscles are supposed to be sore the next day right? One of my friends who plays basketball at high school told me to do calf raises with feet next to each other, toes outward, then toes inward, 5 reps for each movement.

I think there are different mechanics involved in sprinting and distance running. I think that when you sprint, it makes more sense to land on the ground in a way that 1) enables you to take off faster, and 2) doesn't take as much time. Landing on the balls of your feet accomplishes both. I was doing that in my gym classes in high school and always finished first (tho not ONLY because of that), and then I read online recently that it is the proper way to sprint. For distance running, however, the way I see it in my mind, fast take-off is not only not needed but will also tire you faster, as landing on the balls of your feet REQUIRES running fast as otherwise it will throw you off-balance, and therefore will tire you faster, which is unfavorable to mid and long distance runners. That's just my opinion though, so I can't back it up with any study or article but I think it makes sense.

op684 has it right with regards to sprint vs. distance mechanics and endurance. Ideal distance running form has you striking midfoot -- not fully up on your toes, but not "braking" on your heel, either.

So when you land on your mid foot, is the foot supposed to slowly land on the rest of the lower area once landing on the mid area, or heels should never touch the ground when sprinting? I tried sprinting without my heels touching the ground, and it gave my calfes quite a workout , but I didn't feel as much "thrust." I'll check some slowmotion sprinting videos to see how the foot lands._________________My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8•London 2012 XXX Olympiad•

True sprinting for the last 100m of a mile. I must be able to zoom for the final kick which can save me another 2 seconds. I see that Asafa keeps his head down for the first 40 meters, then his head turns upward and faces forward, the fingers are spread, and huge elbow drives are done. I am about to race the first place cross country high school junior who has a time of 15:46 for the 5km, we are going to race in the mile, his mile time is somewhere in the 4 mintue range too, and he is a bit taller than me with huge, intimidating leg muscles, so I can see that it will be a very close race, and he has a very fast sprint. I should better wear my Nike Zoom Miler shoes because he's a beast at 140 pounds and I'm a skinny, white-tan, ripped fershman weighing in at 98 pounds. I heard from many cross country runners that he is scary to watch when he runs because of his legs. Any tips on imagery during a race, and the final kick? I heard that you should have "tunnel" vision when you sprint._________________My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8•London 2012 XXX Olympiad•

I think a reason why certain athletes like Hicham and Asafa perform amazing feats is because of the beginning of every race. At the beginning everyone seems intimidated and holds back afraid of losing their energy, and hitting the wall, but I go out on an all-out sprint on the first 100m I might just have a chance._________________My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8•London 2012 XXX Olympiad•